TechPlanPaper

7/30/2019 TechPlanPaper

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Glenwood Springs Public Library Renovation 1

Glenwood Springs Public Library RenovationEmporia State University

Jay Ballenberger, Kelly Brooks &Torie Derks

Introduction:


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This paper is the combined efforts of three Emporia State University

Library and Information Science graduate students to update the technology

environment at a small fictional library. To gain perspective on the needs of

the fictional library, we interviewed librarians and IT professionals at libraries

serving populations between one and two thousand people: DAnn Jackson of

the Pikes Peak Library District, the Loveland Public Library, and the Idaho

Springs Public Library. These interviews included questions regarding the

nature of technology in the library, classes and training available to staff and

patrons, the Integrated Library System currently in use, and what technology

would be purchased if greater funds were accessible. The answers to these

interviews acted as a valuable guide for beginning research and highlighted

the importance of myriad perspectives in undertaking large projects.

We chose to model our technology plan after three sample library

plans available on the Internet, notably, the Avon Free Public Library, the

Rochester Hills Public Library, and the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.

Each of these plans shared a similar division of categories: Library Vision,

Mission, Technology Vision Statement, Current Technology Environment,

Goals, and Budget. Writing a mock version of each of these categories

required us to consider the type of library we wanted to be and what kind of

outcomes would occur after the technology implementation. Our vision and

mission statements were created to encompass the broad array of services

the library provides while clearly emphasizing that the library is first and


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foremost egalitarian in the services it provides, while our technology

statement was intended to serve as a compass to guide our purchases.

Timeline:

In order to plan out the transition from the current state of the

Glenwood Library to an updated technological environment it is important to

have a road map for the steps that will be taken. This plan, while still rough,

will be more defined and specific as it moves forward. The first phase is

hiring the new technology staff person for the library. Once this has been

accomplished, the library as a whole will take advantage of this persons

expertise to update and change the following phases as needed. For the

timelines purposes the current map for the rest of the transition is as

follows.

The second phase, after hiring the new staff person, is the physical

update to the librarys building. This includes an addition to the building that

will expand the staff area, the meeting room, and give the entryway room for

an open community area (possibly including a coffee cart). Once the

additions, new furniture, and half walls are installed, phase three will

commence. This is comprised of installing new technology- hardware,

software, projector, fax machines, and so on. The next phase is training the

staff, as well as planning for, and training patrons. Phase four will overlap

with all the other phases at least some, and should continue to happen even

after the technology renovation is complete.


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After the new technology has been in place and in use, an evaluation

will take place involving staff, patrons, and Mrs. Abby. Similar to the initial

survey that was done prior to the renovation, the purpose is to assess what

is working with the technology, what isnt working, and what might be

needed in the future. The final phase, phase six, is taking what has been

learned from the evaluation and moving forward to purchase other

technology, and update the current technology.

The technology within this plan is all intended to be included in phase

three of the timeline.

Projector:

A projector is an important and useful technology to include in the

update of the Glenwood Springs Library. There will be a community area in

the library post-renovation, and one of our goals was to have a space for

patrons to share presentations and watch films. I began my research by

investigating what functions to look for in a projector on

projectorcentral.com. After comparing LCD and DLP projectors, I choseEpson

PowerLite 1771 W, an LCD projector with a resolution of 1280x WXGA with

between 2000 to 3000 lumens. While Digital Light Processing (DLP) has

traditionally been known as a higher quality technology for long-term use

and has been the preferred projector choice for home-theater enthusiasts, I

thought for the general purposes of the library patrons and staff, i.e., sharing

presentations, documents, and short videos, an LCD projector would function

well. The advantages of choosing an LCD projector include: sharper image,
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brighter colors, and better light efficiency. LCD doesnt hold up as well in

categories of contrast and amount of visible pixilation, but it will project a

brighter, more colorful picture.

The two companies that are leaders in LCD technologies are Epson and

Sony. I went with Epson because it had a long lamp life (4,000 hours), was on

the higher end of the lumen scale for the price. Its lightweight, clocking in at

3.7 lbs. I estimate the library using the projector about twenty hours a

month, 240 hours per year, which means bulb replacement in more than ten

years. By that time the projector would probably be obsolete anyway (a new

bulb costs $178.00 for this particular projector). However, I have planned to

purchase an extra bulb just in case the old one burns out due to staff leaving

the projector on, or if the library uses more projector time than planned. This

projector costs $984.00 according to projectorcentral.com.

Desktops:

The mock library originally had only twenty computers, all with

technology from the 1990s. Purchasing adequate numbers of desktops with

proper software was one of the crucial pieces of technology we needed to

focus on to create a successfully revamped library. For the purposes of the

library and the emphasis on staying budget friendly, I compared prices of

similarly enabled desktops between the two largest computer vendors, Dell

and Hewlett Packard. While the basic HP desktop had better design and

software features like Photoshop, the cost was roughly $150.00 more than

the Dell desktop. Since patrons will be using the computers for standard


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functions such as surfing the Web or working in Microsoft Office, it made

sense to purchase a desktop that met those indispensable requirements

without the bells and whistles.

I also interviewed DAnn Jackson, an IT Professional in the Pikes

Peak Library District (PPLD), regarding the technology currently available in

her library. She recommended the Dell Optiplex desktop, which is the most

budget friendly desktop Dell offers. Its a 2nd Gen Intel Core i5-2400

Processor, Quad Core, with Windows 7 operating system. The Optiplex met

my criteria for economy and capability, so I purchased thirty-six for the

library. Included with each desktop is a one year warranty and Trend Micro-

Worry Free security software, which I chose to extend for an additional two

years.

Laptops:

The intention behind purchasing laptops in addition to desktops is

to make technology classes available to patrons; the size of the library

makes it necessary to have a mobile classroom. The laptops will be set up in

the newly added community area and stored after class, allowing for

maximum use of a small space. Because Dell offered the most cost effective

computers, I chose to purchase laptops from them as well. I decided to go

with the smallest, most budget friendly laptop Dell offered: the Vostro 2420

laptop. The Vostro was another recommendation from my interview with Ms.

Jackson. I purchased the basic laptop that included Windows 7 OS, dual core

processor, an environmental option to support reforestation and ten licenses


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of Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010. The price of the basic laptop is

$400.00, and choosing to have Office installed is an extra $200.00. I also

chose to spend an extra $20.00 for three years of anti-virus software on each

laptop.

Deep Freeze:

Many of the articles I read on Tech Soup for Libraries and other

library forums advised purchasing some form of system restore software.

Even patrons in a small, rural library may attempt to download harmful

programs or change factory settings. System restore software will also

ensure fewer computer problems, and the majority of problems will be

solved by a simple restart. Deep Freeze was the most commonly

recommended program. I chose the Deep Freeze Enterprise version because

the program can manage multiple computer restorations and system

updates from one location, which seemed time efficient considering the

greatly expanded number of computers in the library, and cost efficient (one

license of Deep Freeze Standard is $35.50). Deep Freeze Enterprise costs

$180.00 for a 5 pack. I estimate a cost of $1,080, as there will be thirty

computers that require this software.

AWE Learning Stations:

Libraries have traditionally played a large role in promoting

literacy skills in children. Today, familiarity with technology is

becoming almost as important in indicating future success. Libraries

must commit to promoting such skills in addition to literacy, and AWE


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learning stations accomplish both goals. In homes where there isnt a

computer, having a product in the library to introduce children to

technology is a crucial step in bridging next generations digital divide.

I had seen several AWE Learning Stations in Denver Public

Library, and children were always drawn to the colorful keyboards,

smaller monitor size, and touch screens, while parents appreciated

that they could facilitate their childs learning through listening in on

an extra pair of headphones. I spoke with Cynthia Busse, a sales

representative at AWE, for more information. She quoted me $3150.00

each for the turnkey Early Literacy Station and the After School Edge.

The Early Literacy Station, aimed at children ages 2-8, offers more

than 60 educational software titles spanning seven curricular areas

("Awe :: Early," 2012). Because Glenwood Springs has a large Hispanic

population, I chose to include a bilingual Spanish option (an extra

$200.00) on the Early Literacy Station.

The After School Edge, a similar product to the Early Literacy Station,

is also a turnkey system and lacks a browser to ensure children are

protected from Internet content and can play safely without constant

supervision. This particular system has learning games geared to children 6-

14 years of age. Originally I intended to purchase two Early Literacy stations,

but because we chose not to purchase gaming stations for teenagers, I

wanted to include one item geared to an older range of children. The array of


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ages served by these two products should serve the younger patrons of the

library well.

Integrated Library System

An Integrated Library System is the backbone of every library, so

choosing a new ILS for our library was one of the most important decisions

we made in renovating the librarys technology. Several details we took into

consideration while evaluating potential ILS included the size of our library,

specifically in terms of physical space, collection size, and staff size. My

research led me to the Koha Express platform, now known as LibLime.

LibLime is a cloud-based system that is useful for small to medium libraries

that may not have a full IT department to devote to ILS servers and system

updates. Our library is limited to ten staff, and though our budget will include

the hire of an IT person, we saw his or her duties relating to staff and patron

training and maintenance of the library website and new technology. An

entire ILS seemed too great a task for one person to manage in addition to

all the other job-related duties, thus we decided that a low-maintenance,

cloud based system would be our best option.

While Koha, the platform LibLIme is based on is open source and free,

the costs associated with LibLime are related to its implementation and

ongoing maintenance. These services include installation, data migration,

system updates, and hosting. Cibarellis (2008) survey of ILS reports LibLime

as having a comprehensive package that includes a variety of customer

support, metasearch capability, and self-checkout stations. While we decided


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against RFID tags and self-checkout for our updated library at the present

moment because of the small nature of the library and the prohibitive cost of

gates and RFID tags, its good to know that LibLime will support self-

checkout should we decide to offer that feature in the future.

Costs of LibLime are based on number of MARC records, with tiers

ranging from 0-50,000 records, 50,001-100,000, and up. I estimated our

library to have a fairly small number of bibliographic records (0-50,000)

because of its non-urban location. Patrick Jones, director of LibLime, provided

a budgetary breakdown of costs: The cost for implementation services

(which can usually be completed in 3-4 months), as well as the first 12

months of maintenance is $12,200 ($3,500 of that is the maintenance and

hosting component) (P. Jones, personal communication, November 6th,

2012). LibLime also offers multi- year contracts that allow libraries to defray

start-up costs over several years, thus, the first years costs ($12,200)

combined with the cost of years two- five would cost the library around

$5,500 a year for five years. An extra benefit to choosing LibLime would

include a Project Manager to assist with the programs implementation, and

several Webex trainings to educate library employees on their new ILS.

Overall, I see the LibLime ILS as a good fit for our renovated library.

Copiers

A good copier is, of course, essential for the patrons of our library. At

the moment we have no data on copier usage so it is very difficult to know

exactly the model and options to choose for our community. Because we do


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not yet have accurate usage data, I recommend setting up a lease

agreement for 2-3 years to help determine if in the future it would be in our

best interest to purchase a machine outright. During our copier lease period

we can begin compiling data figures to help us determine how the

equipment is being used and survey the patrons as to how the technology is

working for them or how it could be improved. A great source for copy

machine purchasing recommendations is put out by the State of Marylands

Department of General Services. Thanks to the suggestions from this guide,

I recommend a machine capable of copying at least 30 pages per minute.

My present recommendation, bases off a rough estimate of our communitys

needs would be a Ricoh Aficio MP 3350B. It is a black and white copier with

the multi-function options of scanning, faxing, and printing. I believe

scanning and printing should be added to the package within our librarys

copy machine lease. Included in the lease is a contract with the

manufacturer that all service on the machine will be handled by Ricoh

technicians. Included in this service agreement is initial staff training on

basic copier functions and troubleshooting. Also included in the contract is

toner for the copier throughout our lease agreement. For these services,

the copier, limited scanner functionality, and printing our library would be

looking at monthly payments of between $250-280/month for a 3 year lease,

adding up to a total of no more than $3,360 per year.

Patron Fax Machines


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For patron fax machines, the Glenwood Springs Library will be testing a

very interesting service called Fax24 Public Fax Service. Fax24 is a fax

machine vendor service that delivers a fax machine type kiosk to libraries at

no cost to the library. Fax24 owns all of the hardware and maintains and

services all aspects of the fax machine. The library merely hosts the

physical space for the machine. For the trouble of hosting the Fax24

machine in our library, the company will share revenues with our library,

although at a limited capacity of income. To use the machine patrons can

use credit cards, debit cards, or can purchase a prepaid fax card enabling

them to use cash or write a check. These prepaid fax cards will be available

to purchase at the check-out counter. The machines are very simple and

user instructions are clearly marked in step-by-step directions directly on the

machine. Direct customer support is available and provided by Fax24 by

simply picking up the fax phone receiver and calling the support service. If a

telephone support service technician is unable to resolve the problem

remotely, the machine is guaranteed to be replaced within 72 hours. If

unfortunately this were to occur, the small stand-alone staff fax machine

could be used as a back-up until the service is restored. The Glenwood

Springs library believes that the Fax24 service will allow our transition to

upgraded technology run smoother by having outside technical support to

turn to in the case of breakdowns.

Staff Fax Machine


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For staff use the library recommends a free standing fax machine that

would be used as a back-up patron fax machine in the event that the patron

Fax24 system was out-of-order. A basic fax machine is all that would

needed, as most communication would be via e-mail and telephone. A free

standing fax machine that would perform well for our needs with the

occasional fax job is the HP 2041 Plain Paper Fax and Copier retailing on

various e-commerce websites for at or around $70. Remanufactured generic

brand ink cartridge replacements run between $8-12 for the HP 2041. This

black and white fax machine can also make small batch copies, but this is

not foreseen as being a recommended use of the machine.

Staff Color Printer

With developing opportunities for enhanced programming at the

Glenwood Springs Library, printing of program materials for outreach is seen

as an essential step in attracting more patrons to the library and its

programs. The largest setback in choosing printers often times is not the

cost of the machine, but the cost of ink for the machine. Many printers that

fit the criteria of our needs had price tags per ink refill that were the same

price as the machine itself. We found an alternative that should help the

library make appealing outreach and handout materials while not breaking

the bank on ink or having to go to the trouble of going out-of-house to print

library materials. The solution comes from a company called Cobra Ink

Systems. Cobra Ink Systems has developed after-market printer ink

reservoirs that are primarily installed on Epson printers. The model of this


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system is that when you buy ink in bulk you pay much less than you would

for the same amount of ink that comes in the printers stock ink cartridge.

The printer we recommend is the Epson 1100 with external color ink

reservoirs. A 17oz bottle of black ink costs $52. In comparison, a 1.6oz one-

time cartridge of black ink for this same printer retails for $20. Our

recommendation is that the library purchase 2-8oz bottles of each color and

one 17oz bottle of black ink for a grand total of $650, which includes the

printer.

Macs

In order to offer the full extent of what technology can do for a

community, it is vital to include computers with the ability to allow patrons to

explore, design, create, and take advantage of all that can be accomplished

with design software. To best provide this service, two MacPro computers

with high quality Thunderbolt Displays will be purchased for the Glenwood

Library and loaded with Adobe Creative Suite 6 Design software. Our new

technology staff person needs to have a solid grounding in this software to

insure that it doesnt go unused (offering tutoring to patrons who are

interested and so on). Microsoft Office will not be included on these

computers initially, and will only be added if a need for it is identified. This is

done because all the other computers available to patrons will have

Microsoft programs, and the purpose of these two MacPro units is to be used

for design.


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One of these computers will be set aside for teens to insure that they

have access to and are encouraged to explore the told provided by this set

up. This will help bring the younger demographic into the library and provide

them with the tools to build a solid foundation for life in a community that

values technology, and expects its citizens more and more to be active

players in the information highway.

The second set up will be for older patrons, with the hope that it will

not only give them access to and the ability to explore what creative

software can do, but that it might be used in a practical way as well.

Perhaps to help small businesses create their own logo, build a website to

promote their product, and so on. As the MacPros are discovered and used

by the community, other software in addition to the Adobe Suite may be

added if needed.

Glenwood Library will purchase two MacPros with 3.2Hz Quad-Core Intel

Xeon at $2,299 each. These are not the top of the line model, but do include

the ability to upgrade as needed. Two Apple Care protection plans at $199

each will also be purchased as insurance for the MacPro units. The display

for the two computers will be the Apple Thunderbolt Display, a 27 inch

screen with impressive graphic capabilities at $1,898 for two. A protection

plan will also be purchased for these at $158 for two.

The Adobe Software is the Creative Suite 6 which includes Flash,

Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and Dreamweaver. Two licenses for this


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software is $1,899.95. All the prices quoted here are with the government

discount Apple provides to libraries through their online store.

Conclusion

Our technology plan began with a vision and mission statement similar

to that of many libraries. We decided that we needed a technology strategy

that could keep us focused while sifting through all the varieties of

technology available to present day libraries and their patrons. Our plan

tended to focus on the software programs and hardware to run them.

Having grown wiser as a result of this assignment, we believe a stronger

focus for a future program of this sort would benefit from more research into

existing funding programs on the state and federal level, grant writing

opportunities, and secure funds for the future with less of a focus on

purchasing equipment right away. This approach could help provide a long-

term, robust culture of technology use within the overall library mission of

lifelong education and discovery for our community. This exercise became a

lesson of accountability in how a public library allocates its funds. People

deserve to know their money is being used wisely and relevantly within their

community and being able to prove that your library can do this is a sure fire

way to have advocates fighting alongside you in the future. After all, Mrs.

Abby brought her money to our library for a reason.


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http://www.olis.ri.gov/grants/erate/includes/tpred09.pdf

Davey, J. (2012). Fax24 Public Fax Service. Retrieved from

http://www.fax24.us/

Domains By Proxy, LLC (2011). Cobra Ink Systems. Retrieved from

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Knox, K. C. (2011, January). Sample technology plan. Retrieved from

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Technology plan. (2007, October 16). Retrieved from

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